features

made in DETROIT

A creative workforce is helping to renew some of the city's most historic neighborhoods, one house and one workplace at a time

By DEBORAH BALDWIN9 min

6465

ask This Old House

Apple parer

While mechanical parers had been in use since the late 1700s, Coates’s improvements—a swivel arm with springs to keep the blade in constant contact with the spinning fruit—earned him the first parer patent. Wood parers like his were superceded by all-metal devices similar to the one with the suction base shown at right.

By MOSES COATES9 min

7475

features

Inside OUT

A GUT RENOVATION always involves making scores of decisions—and being a pro doesn’t make them any less gut-wrenching, it turns out. For Elizabeth Low Cash, a design-build landscape contractor in Los Angeles who regularly guides clients through complex yard makeovers, the decisionmaking on her own remodel felt like a nonstop onslaught.

9697

features

ALL ABOUT Picket Fences

These barriers went from basic wood slats to an iconic element of the American curbside. Here’s what you need to know to find the right style for your house

By SAL VAGLICA8 min

5859

weekend remodel

Build a chicken coop

Use pressure-treated lumber and PVC trim to create a shelter designed by Tom Silva to keep predators at bay—and provide a source of fresh eggs right out your back door

By SAL VAGLICA7 min

3839

memories

Lessons of the Pinewood Derby

A father, a son, and a blank block of pine: For generations of Cub Scouts, the first time a boy ever took a tool to wood was to build a car for the big race

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landscaping

Your own private prairie

Sidestep the rigid rules of traditional garden design and take a walk on the wild side

By ANDREW KEYS5 min

9091

features

PERENNIAL FAVORITE

Com pact yet overflowingwith blooms, this cottage garden gives its owners a spectacular show all summer long

By MICHELLE GERVAIS5 min

4849

TV house tours

Must-see TV homes

They were the spaces your favori te sitcom characters called home. Get ready for a nostalgia-inducing trip through TV’s most famous interiors